


not on the test

by fishyspots



Series: prompts [9]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Boys In Love, Canon Compliant, Early Relationship, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28806159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishyspots/pseuds/fishyspots
Summary: “What does Alexis need?” Patrick asks around midterms.“A life,” David answers without looking up from where he’s turning the lotions so that the spouts are at the same forty-five-degree angle.Patrick presses his lips together. He should have known David wasn’t going to make this easy for him. “For school.”Or, Patrick puts together some things for Alexis when she's stressed about tests.
Relationships: Alexis Rose & David Rose, Patrick Brewer & Alexis Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Series: prompts [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822303
Comments: 22
Kudos: 189





	not on the test

**Author's Note:**

  * For [samwhambam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/samwhambam/gifts).



> A small prompt fill for Sam -- thanks for giving me something to fixate on when I needed a break from my longer stuff! Thanks also to the bbs who got me doing writing sprints and, like, making words again.

“What does Alexis need?” Patrick asks around midterms. 

“A life,” David answers without looking up from where he’s turning the lotions so that the spouts are at the same forty-five-degree angle. 

Patrick presses his lips together. He should have known David wasn’t going to make this easy for him. “For school.”

He doesn’t say _I want her to like me._ He doesn’t think that he has to.

David looks up then. It doesn’t escape Patrick’s notice that the most recent bottle is ever-so-slightly off. “What do you mean, for school? To finish. To stop throwing business terms around like confetti.”

“It’s midterms soon, isn’t it?” Patrick steps out from behind the counter and levers himself up to sit on it. He spreads his knees in a way that still feels just this side of too intimate for a place of business, but the smile David doesn’t think he sees is worth it. “Jocelyn said something about the grading coming up when I went across the street."

David slots in easily, stepping away from his beloved organizing and between Patrick’s legs, warm hands coming to rest on Patrick’s hips and sending sparks across the back of his neck. “That would explain her mood,” he allows.

“And what does she need?” Patrick asks again. He knows that David knows, that it’s all filed away somewhere David pretends he forgot about, or pretends he doesn’t maintain so meticulously, or pretends doesn’t exist.

“Highlighters,” David says. Before he lets himself think about it, judging by the wrinkle in his nose after the words come out. Patrick waits for David to either backtrack or shrug off his answer, like it’s a guess or something he doesn’t care about. But David keeps surprising him. “Post-Its, too.” David looks up at the ceiling, eyebrows drawn together because he’s giving this some actual thought. “Snacks, because she’s like a Disney World pigeon when she gets too deep in her notes. She’ll eat anything. She doesn’t deserve much after she told my mom about the good facemasks, but even she doesn’t deserve my dad’s cafe leftovers.”

“I’ll keep all that in mind,” Patrick says, already compiling a shopping list. _Please let her like me,_ he doesn’t say.

Later that night, after Patrick harangued David into dusting the shelves and David harangued Patrick into giving him a ride home by way of a decent pizza place in Elm Glen, after Patrick stopped at a few places before turning his car back toward the motel one more time, he stands outside David’s—and Alexis’s—door, the only basket they had at the grocery store in his arms. 

When the door opens, it’s Alexis. Patrick timed this out so that David would be a) in the shower, b) with Stevie in the lobby, or c) in the closet storage space he will only hint about to Patrick preparing his outfit for tomorrow. He thinks he’s landed firmly in the third category, and the lack of sound from both the shower and the lobby support his thesis.

“David’s a few doors down,” Alexis says. She doesn’t stop to talk about his _cute_ basket, or _sweet_ gesture, which is how Patrick knows she’s stressed.

“It’s, uh, for you.” Patrick holds it out. _Please like me,_ he doesn’t say. 

Alexis’s mouth opens and doesn’t close. So Patrick keeps talking.

“I heard it was midterms, and I used to hate midterms. Why go through all the stress of finals twice in one semester, right? Why test at all?” Patrick swallows. Alexis still hasn’t taken the basket. “I mean, maybe you like tests. That’s fine too. Tests are good. Except, um. When you don’t like tests.”

“Patrick,” Alexis says slowly. The words come out differently when it’s David’s sister. The cadence is the same, but. The tone. “I _hate_ tests.”

“Me too,” Patrick says, relieved. “Anyway, David said you needed highlighters so I got a selection of those, and then he mentioned snacks and Ray just made this banana bread that’s really good except for the almonds, but I think I got the almond-free batch. Um, sorry. If I didn’t.”

“Love this for me,” Alexis says absentmindedly, but Patrick can tell she’s thinking about something else. “David said I needed highlighters?”

“Did you—did he get that wrong? Or, oh god, was he—joking?” It’s not funny, but Patrick will try to be a good sport. _Please don’t think I’m smothering your brother,_ he doesn’t say. 

“No, I just…” Alexis clears her throat and finally—finally!—takes the basket. “Didn’t know he noticed.”

Patrick doesn’t know what to do with his hands now, so he stuffs them in his pockets. “Well. He noticed.”

Alexis nods quickly. “And you listened to him.”

Patrick meets Alexis’s eyes. She’s clearly exhausted—the sweater she’s wearing is suspiciously monochrome, and her eye makeup is smudged around the corners of her eyes—but her gaze is sharp. _Please let me get this right,_ he doesn’t say. What he does say is, “I listened.”


End file.
